Hickory, NC
Tie Breakers
Right by the Lenoir-Rhyne campus, a new sports bar built to feel like it
has always been Hickory's. The town is up on the walls, the old bridge,
the campus down the road. Michael's name is on one wall and the Signature
Bar on another. It was still getting finished the day we went, but the
kitchen was already open, and the wings are the reason we will be back.
Close enough to campus to be loud come fall, close enough to the valley
to be ours.
The move a basket of hot with ranch, a stool, and the game up on the screens.
Hickory, NC
Lake Hickory Pub & Marina
An hour south on Lake Hickory, and the rare kind of trip that gets us
off our own river. Dan and Meagen Kelly left corporate life to buy the
marina and run the grill, which is the sort of leap we have a soft spot
for. Eat at the water's edge, then rent a pontoon by the hour and let
somebody else own the maintenance for once. Caleb has not stopped
talking about it.
The move a pontoon by the hour, and stay out past the good light.
Lenoir, NC
Happy Valley Filling Station
Five minutes from the house on foot, which is the whole reason it
works. Walk down, no plan, let the afternoon land where it lands. On
a Sunday they run a Carbonara pizza with a fried egg thrown on top
and, if you're feeling reckless, a bump of caviar. We ate the entire
thing without saying a word. Sarah still orders the Bianca.
The move the Carbonara. Sundays only, and yes, put the egg on it.
North Carolina
Famous Toastery
When a morning has earned the right to take its time, we point the
truck up the hill to the Famous Toastery in Blowing Rock. Big plates,
coffee that keeps coming, a patio worth lingering on with the ridge
behind it. There are others scattered across the state and we won't
tell you which to pick, but the one up the hill is ours.
The move breakfast, and don't watch the clock.
Cornelius, NC
Eleven Lakes Brewing
Down on the west side of Lake Norman, worth the trip when we're that
way. Picnic tables, cold pours, the kind of place you end up sitting
longer than you meant to. The Meg hauled a six-pack back to the porch
one evening and it has been in the rotation ever since, which is about
the highest honor a beer gets around here.
The move The Big One, their double lager, out at the picnic tables.
Hickory, NC
The Downbeat
Half an hour down the mountain, on Union Square in downtown Hickory, and
the first room around here to put jazz up on a stage instead of just on a
record. Low light, vinyl humming between sets, small plates that lean hard
on local farms, some of it grown right up our own valley. Caleb wore out
the same records in the garage for twenty years before this place handed
him the live version. Saturdays it's a real trio; the rest of the week the
needle does the work.
The move a Saturday set, close to the stage, and start with the étouffée.
Kernersville, NC
Big Burger Spot
Every few weeks we point the truck east to see Sarah's cousin Dana, and
somewhere around Kernersville the hungry always wins. The sign says small
place, big burgers, and for once a sign tells the truth. The Carolina is
the one that earns respect, cheddar and house chili and slaw and mustard
and onions stacked past anything the bun agreed to, hand-cut fries
alongside. Walls hung with real photos of the food, a lot to stare out at,
nowhere in particular to be. The stop that turns a family drive into a day.
The move the Carolina burger, fries, and a toothpick you are going to need.